The latest information from around the web about political prisoner and journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

New Afrikan PP Ojore Lutalo Release Date

Long time New Afrikan Anarchist Political Prisoner, Ojore N. Lutalo is set to max out after 26 years of imprisonment at New Jersey State Prison. While his exact release date is still not finalized, it will most likely be late November or early December. The NJ DOC website has his max out date as December 25th. Ojore, with the help of a lawyer, is in the process of working to get his good time/work credits restored, a result of his victory in the NJ Superior Court in 2007, which overturned a charge the prison convicted him of in 2005. This charge/conviction took away around a year of good time/work credits. This process is still ongoing and we will update people with any changes to his max out date

In the meantime, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) is initiating a fundraising drive to support Ojore, once he is released, in order for him to transition back to the streets. Money is needed to help Ojore secure housing, food and clothing. This financial assistance will allow Ojore to make the transition more smoothly, knowing that money and housing isn't an immediate pressing matter, giving him the needed time to readjust to the streets ,that he hasn't seen or experienced since 1982.

As many former prisoners and their supporters know, coming back home after a doing a long stretch in prison is difficult and without a support base it will be even more difficult. The ABCF, anarchists and many PP/POW activists who have maintained contact and supported Ojore over the years, have benefited immensely from the example that he's set as what it means to be a revolutionary. His untiring advice/criticism to us has helped many of us and our organizations grow politically and deepen, not only our commitment to the struggle to free political prisoners and prisoners of war, but to that of building a revolutionary movement

It's our revolutionary duty ensure Ojore has all the support he needs when hits the streets!

We encourage all activists to organize fundraisers or donate whatever they can towards Ojore's release fund.

All funds, by check or money order, payable to TIM FASNACHT, can be sent to:Philadelphia ABCFP.O Box 42129Philadelphia, Pa 19101

Thank you for your support of our comrade Ojore!

Solidarity and Struggle!TimPhilly ABCF717-917-1165

please circulate this appeal as far and wide as possible.....................Bio of Ojore........

Ojore Lutalo is locked down in Trenton, New Jersey, for actions carried out in the fight for Black Liberation. In Ojore's own words, he is "serving a parole violation sentence (we received 14 to 17 years) stemming from a 1977 conviction for expropriating monies from a capitalist state bank (in order to finance our activities) and engaging the political police in a gun battle in December 1975 in order to effect our departure from the bank, and to ensure success of the military operation..." "After my parole violation term terminated in December 1987, I started serving a forty year sentence with a twenty year parole ineligibility (I was paroled in 1980, and I have been back in captivity since April 20, 1982) that I have received in 1982 for having a gun-fight with a drug dealer. The overall strategy of assaulting a drug dealer is to secure monies to finance one's activities, and to rid the oppressed communities of drug dealers." Ojore was originally arrested with New Afrikan P.O.W. Kojo Bomani Sababu, and was struggling with comrade Andaliwa Clark up until the point that Andaliwa was killed in action within the confines of New Jersey's infamous Trenton State Prison after he shot two prison's security guards in the repressive Management Control Unit (M.C.U.) on January 19th, 1976 when they tried to stop him from escaping from captivity. Ojore was a comrade of the late Kuwasi Balagoon, a New Afrikan anarchist P.O.W. "I've been involved in the struggle, the war against the fascist state since 1970. I've been an anarchist since 1975 without any regrets. Prior to my involvement in the struggle, I was just another apolitical lumpen (bandit) here in Amerika." "I was... influenced and highly motivated by the Black Liberation Army (B.L.A.) here in Amerika. These sisters and brothers were New Afrikans just like me from the streets of the ghettos who took the initiative militarily, to start assassinating members of the state's security forces who were murdering black people in our communities. From the inception of all revolutions, I feel that the people need armed combat units to check state sponsored acts of terrorism by the government's security forces. In addition, I feel that these armed combat units are necessary to show the people that fascist acts of state-sponsored terrorism... will be responded to militarily. In 1975 I became disillusioned with Marxism and became an anarchist (thanks to Kuwasi Balagoon) due to the inactiveness and ineffectiveness of Marxism in our communities along with repressive bureaucracy that comes with Marxism. People aren't going to commit themselves to a life and death struggle just because of grand ideas someone might have floating around in their heads. I feel people will commit themselves to a struggle if they can see progress being made similar to the progress of anarchist collectives in Spain during the era of the fascist Bahamonde..."